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Socorro High School's Science Olympiad team snagged third place overall in the high school division at the state competition at New Mexico Tech this weekend, topping all the state's public school competitors. Albuquerque Home Schoolers and Albuquerque Academy took first and second places, respectively. The winning team travels to Orlando, Florida, for the national competition in May.

Magdalena-area residents can now join a grass-roots "Biggest Loser" contest. The top loser will get a lot less than the $250,000 Rachel Fredrickson did, the controversial winner on the popular NBC show. On the other hand, Magdaleneans won't have to travel to California or even Socorro for personal coaching and healthy foods, according to organizer Alice Lawton.

Starting in February, forestry division inmate crews from Los Lunas will be working on the "ribbon" east of town — the forested area between the low flow channel and the drain on the west side of the river.

Hundreds of acres of private land will be condemned in three counties — Socorro, Catron and Torrence — for a pipeline carrying liquid carbon dioxide used to enhance oil recovery. The pipeline, snaking across the landscape and under two rivers, will be completed in 2015.

Beginning in 2015, the federal Affordable Care Act will require school districts employing more than 50 full-time staff members to offer a year of health insurance coverage to any employee working more than 30 hours per week on average during a school year, Superintendent Randall Earwood said at Monday's Socorro school board meeting. In 2015, the district will have to offer health insurance to some substitute teachers and temporary workers — such as coaches, he said. Once an employee accepts the coverage, the district must pay its share of the employee's premiums for the next 12 months. If the employee no longer works enough hours to afford his share of the cost, the district will also be responsible for that portion of the premium. In effect, the district may end up being a collection agency.

Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District irrigation ditches are carrying drainage water from just above Brown Arroyo east of Socorro to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge south of San Antonio this fall and winter as a result of an agreement between the two entities that took effect after the regular irrigation season closed Nov. 1.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Friends of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, and the group has accomplished its goal — the San Antonio wildlife preserve is now considered "one of the crown jewels of the refuge system," according to refuge manager Kevin Cobble.

Problems with the school district's Internet service and online student assessments prompted a lengthy discussion at the programmatic school board meeting held at Midway Elementary School on Monday night.